Bite The Poison Apple

With winter came shorter days and longer nights, especially in the northern territories of Boreas. Saracyn had not anticipated staying out past sundown when he'd gone off on his hunting trip to replenish some of the furs for Elysium's storage now that they were seeing new members and pups being added to their census, but they weren't any sort of punches he couldn't roll with. The pale argent moonlight lit up the snow-dusted world, and over head bands of vibrant colors danced about as the aurora borealis made its faint appearance in the northeast. It was a beautiful sight that reminded him of the day about a year ago now that he had spent with Avacyn together, the two siblings cutting a bloody swath across the land. They had both matured since then, taken on more responsibilities and higher roles within the pack, meaning they didn't have as much time to goof off like they had when they were yearlings. Those memories would always remain cherished treasures to the brute though.

Carrying his bundle of pelts he'd skinned himself from snow leopards and ermines up in the nearby mountain range just south of Elysium lands, Saracyn made his way through the snow covered thicket of dense trees and gnarled branches. The dire brute stood out against the pristine and undisturbed snow like a splatter of fresh blood, red against white in sharp contrast, even in the low light. Being out on his own didn't unsettle or worry the Mendacium prince; why would it? He was large and strong enough to fend for himself and take on anything that was stupid enough to threaten him out in the wild lands. Like his father, he was fearless bordering on reckless. Stopping for the night never even crossed his mind as he padded his way through the thicket, giant paws crunching the freshly fallen snow into tightly packed tracks in his wake. Sara followed the well worn path headed west, then north back toward his home. How happy his mother would be with his contributions to the pack.

Rounding a bend in the path, Saracyn heard a symphony of evening life around him. The cry of an eagle, the distant bark of a hound, the gentle whisper of wind in his ears. What he didn't hear, however, was whatever the hell had come out of nowhere to bite him on his flank. Sara yipped in surprise, rounding about quickly to see what foolish creature had tried to attack the mighty dire wolf—only to see nothing behind him but his own tracks and growing darkness. Brows furrowed over narrowed cerulean eyes as the prince scoured the tree line. What the hell had just hit him then? As Saracyn moved, he felt something stuck in his flesh, something foreign and lodged in his skin. Curling about on himself, he investigated his stinging hindquarters. It only took him a moment to discover the strange dart sticking out of his flank just behind his thigh. With a head tilt, he gently pried the dart from his muscle with a paw, inspecting it curiously. A sniff test to be safe... and Saracyn was greeted with a bitter herbal smell. Though he was no healer, Sara didn't need to be an expert to recognize the stench of the herbs healers used for their medicines and pharmaceuticals. But... where had it come from?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, Saracyn suddenly began to notice a sensation of tingling numbness growing in his thigh where the dart had struck him. Sara eyed the dart again, studying it curiously—and then it was gone. He blinked, confused. A glance down confirmed it was lying in the snow now. He had dropped it. That was when the prince realized his paws had begun to feel the same tingling too to the point where he couldn't flex his digits or keep a grip held as the numbness overtook his extremities. A panic began to grow within the brute, his breathing increasing in rate as he stumbled backwards through the snow, only managing to take a couple of steps before he lost all control of his legs. Sara saw the white earth coming up to meet his face, and then he was collapsed in the snow, breathing heavy and growling to himself. Losing control of his body was a strange and worrying sensation. What the fuck was going on with him?! All around him the world began a slow spin, his vision swimming as the drugs did their work on his brain and nervous system, shutting down his fine motor control while leaving his vitals unharmed.

Sara tried to rise again, but wound up face planting into the snow again, his rump unceremoniously held aloft in the air by wobbly legs he could no longer feel. His tail swayed limp behind him, his eyes still able to move and perceive his world, but now wholly unable to do anything but lie there, paralyzed and confused. Saracyn grunted and growled, his deep voice beginning to wobble as even the muscles controlling his vocal cords went offline, while he tried to force his body to stand or move at all, but the sedative had done its job and rendered him immobile. Now in full effect, Saracyn could only collapse back to the snow again, trapped in this strange experience where he was a helpless passenger within his own body.

"Saracyn Mendacium"